Penny shut her mouth. “Okay.” She was quiet for a few seconds before she asked, “So, what are you going to do about it?”
“Nothing at the moment.” Matt’s voice was calm, but the glitter in his eyes suggested that something would be done at some point.
She hoped there would be some consequence while at the same time hoped that didn’t make her a horrible person. There was definitely satisfaction in seeing bullies brought down a peg or two.
“Hooyah,” Penny said. When Matt’s eyebrow rose again, she quickly added, “That’s what Navy SEALs say, isn’t it?”
His lips quirked. “Yes.”
“I thought so. My dad says hooah sometimes, but I think that’s an Army thing. How is Jaxson, by the way?” Penny asked, inwardly cringing at the obvious segue. “He’s healing okay?”
Matt’s expression went neutral once again. “Yes.”
She waited for him to say more. He didn’t. “Did he and Sam get the information they were looking for?”
Matt nodded, not even providing a verbal reply that time. Penny ignored the subtle hint and plowed ahead, rationalizing that it might be her best chance of seeing Jaxson again for a while.
“Is he around?” she asked lightly. “I wouldn’t mind saying hi before he heads back to Virginia.”
Matt’s eyes softened. “He’s already gone, Penny.”
The words were like a punch to the stomach. Aware of Matt’s assessing gaze, she rallied her brave face and managed a small smile. “Oh, right. I must have gotten my days mixed up.”
“I’m sorry. He said he had some important things to take care of.”
“Well,” she said with fake brightness as she got up, “I guess I made the trip for nothing. At least it’s a beautiful day and a scenic drive.”
“Won’t you stay for lunch?”
“Thanks, but I’ve already eaten. And I’ve got to head back. Maybe another time.”
She left quickly before he could say anything else, but in her haste to get to the parking lot, she made a wrong turn and ended up in the dining room anyway.
“Penny! I didn’t think you were coming,” Kate greeted with a smile and a wave, beckoning her over.
Shasta daisies.
“I can’t stay,” Penny said apologetically, making her way over to the table. “I just came to tell Matt that I know who attacked Jaxson.”
“Who?” Sam asked immediately.
Apparently, Matt and the guys hadn’t shared that information with the women. They had every right to know, too, Penny rationalized.
“Joe Eisenheiser and Pete Krueger.”
Sam scowled. “Joe is a dick.”
“Pete’s no better,” Tina muttered.
Kate shook her head. “We should have guessed. Joe ran me off the road a few years ago on my way up here, thinking I was Steve.”
“And he and his cousin, Eddie, shot out my tire last year when they found out I was seeing Doc,” Tina added.
“How did you find out?” Sandy asked, sliding over and patting the seat beside her.
Despite her intentions to flee, Penny sat down and told them. Unlike Matt, the women nodded approvingly. It was a tiny balm.
“Good for you,” Sandy commented.
“Matt wasn’t too happy.”
Bree waved her hand dismissively. “Alpha males. It’s in their DNA to be overprotective. You get used to it after a while and learn to work around it.”
That wasn’t something Penny would have to worry about.
“I guess Matt told you that Jaxson left, huh?” Kate said softly, suggesting Penny had either spoken her thoughts aloud or Kate was really good at reading faces.
Penny nodded, and just like that, the urge to flee once again rose up. “I really need to go.”
“I’ll walk you out,” said Sam.
Penny bit back the protest, not wanting to be rude. Plus, she’d already made one wrong turn. There was no telling what she might walk into if left to her own devices.
“Don’t think too poorly of him, Penny,” Sam said when they were out of earshot of the others. “He’s dealing with a lot right now.”
“So are you. You’re doing okay.”
“I am,” Sam agreed. “But I have Steve and everyone else here supporting me. Plus, I made peace with my past years ago. Jaxson’s still working things out. His father’s death, his injuries, me ... you.”
“Me?” Penny asked and then shook her head. “No, there’s nothing to work out with me.”
“I’m no expert, but I do know a thing or two about broody, strong, silent, slightly damaged types,” Sam said with a little smile. “If you ask me, he’s got it bad for you.”
Penny snorted. If he did, he had a funny way of showing it. “He left without saying good-bye.”
“Maybe he didn’t want to say good-bye.”
“What are you saying, that he’s coming back?”
“If he’s anything like me, he needs some time and space to work things out,” Sam said carefully. “But, yeah, I think he’ll be back once he figures out that he’s got something worth coming back to. He does, doesn’t he? Or am I totally misreading things?”
“You’re not,” Penny admitted as they reached her car. “At least, not on my end. From the moment I saw him, it was like a switch flipped inside of me.” She smiled ruefully as she opened the door and slid into the driver’s seat. “Crazy, right? I barely know him.”
“Not so crazy,” Sam said. “I was in the same boat, certain that Steve didn’t feel about me the same way I did about him.”
“What changed?”
A dark cloud passed over Sam’s features. “Nothing I’d want you or Jaxson to have to go through, that’s for sure. For what it’s worth, I think Jaxson feels the same way. He’s just not as open to the possibilities as you are.”
“So, what do you suggest?”
“Give him some time to sort things out but not long enough to let the doubt take hold—because trust me, it will. Then, go get him and convince him he’s better off with you than without.”
“Just like that?” Penny shook her head doubtfully. “You’re forgetting that I was the one showing up at his door while he was in town. Most of the time, he pushed me away.”
“But not all the time.”
“No,” Penny agreed, remembering the last night they’d spent together. He might have resisted at first, but once he’d let go, it had been incredible. “Thanks, Sam. I’ll think about it, okay?”
“Okay.” Sam reached into her back pocket and pulled out a slip of paper. “Here.”
“What’s this?”
“Jaxson’s address in Virginia. You know, just in case.”
“You just happened to have this in your pocket, huh?”
Sam shrugged. “I was hoping you’d show up today. Good luck, Penny. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”
“Thanks. I will.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Jaxson
Jaxson walked stiffly into his boyhood home much as he had a week earlier but with an even stronger sense that something was missing.